Cooking
by Lariren-Shadow
Summary: She dragged him down to the kitchens where everything she needed was already laid out. "We're going to make some of your favorite foods," she told him. Zutara


Katara watched Zuko carefully finish the report he was writing. His characters were always neat, his lines perfect. It was times like this that Katara could almost feel the difference in their upbring: she learned her characters with squid ink before it froze and brushes made from polar yak fur, they were practices in the snow and rarely used; his (she assumed) were learned with masters who insisted that a prince write neatly and only with the best brushes, he practiced by copying poems and histories. Now his lines were slightly too close together, just on the edge of sloppy. She could see the stress on his face but his writing showed more.

She wanted him to relax but wasn't entirely sure how to help. She had an idea, silly as it was, but she needed help executing it. So she waited, patiently, while her friend and possible lover (they were in a complicated state of almost taking the first step to a relationship) finished what he was writing. He cracked his neck after placing the brush down. A quick shake of sand over the still drying ink later he looked up, eyes going wide with surprise. "Oh, Katara, hi," he stammered, "how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long. I just wanted to borrow some writing supplies," she said calmly.

"You know you can just ask any servant here for them, right?"

She shrugged. "I know but this at least gets you to take a break for a few minutes."

"Fine here," he opened the top drawer of his desk, "ink pots and brushes, paper in the one below."

"Thanks."

"Are you going to tell me what you need them for?"

"Letters." He raised his eyebrow at her. "Just because I'm staying here doesn't mean you get to know everything I'm doing."

"And here I thought we discussed everything."

She just smiled. "Maybe I'll tell you later. Eat something, I'm sure you haven't done that in awhile."

"Whatever you say mom," he called as she left the room.

Katara made sure her letters were written as perfectly as she could. She sent the letters later that day and began waiting for the replies. Ursa's came first, along with a promise to visit if Katara needed help forcing her son to relax. Iroh's came a few days later with, of course, a special blend of tea.

With the information she needed in hand Katara went down to the kitchens to let the cooks know that she was going to take over their domain later that day to prepare food for the Fire Lord. To her surprise there wasn't any push back from her request. "You can prepare food that will go to waste all you want," the head chef told her. Katara just smiled and thanked her again for letting her using the kitchen.

"Get up," she said as she burst into Zuko's office.

"Can't, have work," he said without looking up.

"Nope, we're going to do something fun." Katara marched over to his desk, threw sand on is current document and took the brush out of his hand. "And we're going right now or I'm going to bend water in your office."

"That won't do anything," he muttered as she tugged on his arm.

"I'm going to start with encasing your desk in ice."

"You're mean," he said as he finally let her pull him up.

"You can thank me later."

She dragged him down to the kitchens where everything she needed was already laid out. "We're going to make some of your favorite foods," she told him.

"Huh?"

"I wrote your mom and uncle and asked what your favorite foods are so we could make them together."

"Why?"

"Well," she began as she tried to hide her blush. "When I was little and feeling sad my mom would have me make sea prunes with her because they were my favorite. It always made me feel better so I thought it might work for you."

"But I'm not sad."

"Sad, stressed, same thing. Now start slicing the bamboo shoots while I check to see if the wood ears are ready."

"Hot and sour soup?"

"The dish Ursa suggested. Iroh said you like fish wrapped in ash banana leaves and I have the ingredients for that too."

"I haven't had this soup since I was a kid," he said as he chopped.

"Good. When you're doing with those start cutting the pigen into small strips."

"Yes Master Katara," he teased. "Oh and make sure you use the red chilis in the soup."

She looked up from the tofu she was cutting into cubes. "How do you know which chilis to use?"

"Mom and I would sometimes make this when we were on vacation on Ember Island. Ozai never liked it because he thought it was too common," he added bitterly.

She elbowed him lightly. "Good thing you're making it with a peasant."

"Watch it or I'll add more chili to it and you won't be able to handle the spice."

"For your information I'm getting used to it and I've already rubbed the fish in fire flakes." She pointed to a bowl filled with ice and the fish sitting on top, covered in red. "You're going to watch them steam while I finish the soup."

"I want to add the green onion," he said.

"Oh?" She liked how his good ear went pink.

"See that's the special part of the soup because it gives it color. At least that's what Mom said."

"Well then you can give it the special touch." Katara smiled at the little grin that crossed Zuko's face.

They continued to chop up ingredients for the soup. Katara watched Zuko's shoulders relax as he cooked the wood ears, bamboo shots, and pigen in oil and ginger. He seemed perfectly at ease as he steamed the fish and positively giddy when he added the green onions to the soup.

She placed the food on a little table she had set up in the kitchen, complete with Iroh's tea ready to brew in the pot. She ladeled soup into his bowl as he placed a packet of fish on her plate.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," he said as he took a tentative sip of his soup.

"You needed to relax."

"But you didn't need to find out what my favorite foods are," he argued.

"I wanted to."

"You could have just asked me out on a date like a normal person."

She choked on her soup. "Who said this is a date?"

He flushed. "Oh, I, uh, well I thought maybe it could be?"

"It can if you want it to be."

He rolled his eyes. "Well is it or isn't it?"

"Fine it is a date!"

"Good! I'm glad we're on a date!"

"Me too!" Then she laughed. "I can't believe we just argued ourselves into a date."

"I can. And the soup could be a little spicier."

"You always have to ruin the moment, don't you?" He just smiled. She did feel immensely pleased that Zuko was enjoying himself and had yet to bring up anything related to ruling the Fire Nation.


End file.
